Maia Lightwood and the Clandestine Quest
by DeanW1979
Summary: The camp borders are down, and and a young daughter of Aphrodite knows who is responsible. She must go on a quest to find the culprit, and to restore the camps borders. The only catch is, failing equals death. This is the third book of the Maia Lightwood series, so please read the other books first. Rated T just to be safe. I don't own PJO, Rick Riordan does.
1. Chapter 1

**A / N:** Hi all! Here is a new book! It is the third Maia Lightwood book, so it would be easier if you read the other two first, otherwise you will get very confused. Either way, its fine by me. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Do I still do this if I did it in the blurb? Oh well, just to be safe, I don't own PJO.

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1

I looked out the car window, watching the moss covered trees around Camp Half-Blood flash past. I wasn't meant to come back to camp for another six months, but I didn't like being away for so long so my Dad and I made a co-promise. I would to camp every three months. That was such a good deal that couldn't believe Dad had actually agreed to it. Even so, what was even harder to believe was that last time I drove up this road Dad had been kidnapped. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This time would be different. No kidnappings.

 _I_ was different too. I was better. Last time I was at camp, Chiron had taught me how to fight. I was stronger now, and I could take on almost any camper and win. My appearance had changed too. My body was toned with muscles, and I dressed better. I wore a dark brown leather jacket over a fawn-coloured top with pale jeans and combat boots. Nice, but practical. My sapphire necklace hung around my neck and I played with the chain fondly. It had saved my life to many times to count, giving me a warning every time a monster was near.

With the camp barriers down, I was sure that I would need all my new skill. I was almost dreading facing camp. I didn't want to see the damage that the constant monsters had inflicted. Chiron said that he didn't want to waste resources in rebuilding when the new buildings would just get knocked down again.

I worried about Audrey, Jack and Holly getting hurt from the attacks. And, well, most of all I worried about Leo. I couldn't help it. The break-up had been exceptionally hard. I felt like there was a giant hole in my chest, and in the first few weeks I had to hug myself just to keep myself from breaking into a million pieces. Now the pain in my chest was just a dull throb, and I was finding it easier to live a normal demigod life. Even so, I was constantly feeling like I had made the wrong decision to break up with Leo, but I had a feeling that feeling was just Audrey's influence.

"Maia," said Dad.

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned away from the window to face him as he picked up my scruffy bag, handing it to me.

"Here you are. Have a good time at camp," he said, his blue eyes looking rather shiny.

I bit my lip. I knew that camp would be fun, and for the most part dangerously exciting, but a part of me didn't want to leave my dad. Dad seemed to notice this and he grinned. "Don't worry, I won't go off and get kidnapped again," he laughed.

He said _again_ instead of _like last time_. That reassured me a little. "Okay dad." I sighed, giving him a hasty hug before opening the door slinging my bag over my shoulder.

"Love you," I called, as the car's engine roared to life.

Dad just smiled and repeated my message, clearly thinking the same thing as me.

I had this thing, where every time I left my dad I would be consciously nice to him, just in case it was the last time I ever saw him. I gotten it from a movie, where the last thing this boy said to his mother was 'I hate you', and then his mother died, leaving the boy feeling terrible. I first started when I was younger, when I was scared of burglars or murders coming in to the house at night, so each time Dad said goodnight I would never fight with him. It was something that my little sister Emma had picked up too. With a pang I realised _I love you_ was the last thing I had heard her say.

I watched gloomily as Dad sped off in our blue Subaru, the tyres screeching against the rough road.

I turned around and took a deep breath. This wouldn't be so hard, would it? I was going to see my friends again. Then I shook myself. Who was I kidding? I was scared of facing Leo again, and scared of the damaged that had been wrecked on camp. I was scared of there not being any camp left to come back to.

My fear quickly faded away though. No, faded away wasn't the right choice of words. I hadn't learnt how to get rid of fear, but Chiron had helped me learn how to control that fear and turn it into courage. I took a few more deep breaths, and with shaky fearful courage I walked through the stone archway and into Camp Half-Blood.

I took one look at the camp and stopped dead, my mouth hanging open. It was all but in ruins. A fine layer of grit and dirt lay over everything, and the whole campus radiated defeat. The only buildings that seemed to have survived were the Big House, the stables, the climbing wall, the Arts & Crafts building, the weapon arena, and all the cabins but Apollo's, which had one of its sides caved in.

The grass was slightly withered by the oncoming winter, and the strawberry fields looked sad and neglected. There were no satyrs playing volley ball or tending to the wild flora which had taken over the cracks in the buildings. Campers with tired eyes walked wearily to their classes, looking utterly defeated.

I glanced at the Big House and saw Dionysus sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, while Chiron stood in centaur form, overlooking the camp with sad eyes. Chiron seemed to have more grey hairs than before, and he looked like he had aged several years while I was away. He nodded in acknowledgement at my presence, and returned to overseeing the wreckage.

My eyes brimmed with tears at the sight of seeing my second home like this. Because that's what camp was. Home. I ducked my head and headed towards the familiar pale blue cabin, one of the lucky buildings still intact. The number ten on the wooden door was hanging on an angle and the flowers on the window sill had wilted. Sylvia had obviously given up trying to keep them alive.

I pushed open the door to the Aphrodite cabin and immediately saw a familiar face. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Audrey!"

Audrey gave a persistently cheerful smile and hugged me tightly, unwilling to let go. I was glad I had someone so optimistic as a half-sister.

I looked around the cabin, and was glad that it seemed to have suffered no damage. The bunk beds were still in an orderly pattern, and the brightly colour posters still clung to the walls. I saw Meg applying a fresh coat of mascara, and Ariana was making some DIY cheek stain. I had a feeling the Aphrodite kids were the only ones that the monster attacks hadn't changed. I wonder if that was some sort of strategy. You can't lose the fight if you don't compete in it.

"Hey Maia," said Audrey, sitting down on her bunk and wearing one of her typical happy faces.

"Hi," I murmured.

"How's life in the big city been treating you?" she asked, making a stab at conversation.

"Not too badly," I replied, chucking my bag on to my bed. "Only got thirty-seven detentions at my school this time. Oh, and plus one for a 'cheap shot' in dodgeball. It broke someone's nose."

Audrey laughed and wacked me playfully on the arm. The atmosphere of the room lightened considerably.

"Have you seen Jack?" I asked, before quickly adding, "Or Holly?"

Audrey looked at me thoughtfully, as if she was going to say something but apparently decided against it. "They're both at the climbing wall, and Leo is at the fighting arena."

"Cool, thanks," I said quickly before she could add anything else.

I dashed out of the cabin, marvelling at my close shave. Audrey was still so persistent about me and Leo, so now I just avoided that topic of conversation. I was only just starting to feel better about the Leo factor, and I didn't want to reopen that wound.

I walked across the wilting grass towards the climbing wall, nimbly jumping over large pieces of rubble that I would have tripped over last summer. It was nice being stronger, more agile. It made life easier, and now no one would consider me the weak link.

I reached the climbing wall, thinking that it was funny that this was one of the only structures still intact. It had suffered stress though, and the once russet coloured rock was now a dusty grey. _At least the lava still works,_ I thought as I saw some of the hot orange sludge spurt out of a hole in the rock.

I spotted Holly waiting patiently at the top of the wall for Jack, who seemed to be having a little trouble. Jack turned and waved to me and got a near-death experience with a handful of lava as a consequence.

I laughed and waited for him to get to the top. My turn. I pulled my long black hair back into a low ponytail and wedged my foot on a jutting out piece of rock. I stuck my fingers into another little dent. My brow furrowed in concentration as I continued clambering up the rock, avoiding jets of hot lava but not daring to slow down in fear of being squished.

I threw myself on to the safe, flat top of the climbing wall and sat down next to Holly panting slightly. A girl could only get so fit in three months.

"Hi," I said breathlessly.

"Hi Maia," replied Holly looking slightly amused.

I rolled my eyes. "I made it up faster than you."

Holly grinned. "Definitely faster than Jack."

Jack blushed and mumbled something about having good view from up here.

I grinned and looked out across the camp from my high vantage point. Jack was right about the view; I could all four corners of camp. The view was both wonderful and upsetting. The forest and greenery looking amazing, but from up here I could also see the destruction that monster attacks had caused to the camp.

My heart stopped for a moment in my chest as I saw a familiar head down in the fighting arena throwing knives at a target. I quickly looked away, but not before I saw Leo turn around and see me on top of the wall.

Holly looked at me curiously, but I was saved from further interrogation as the bell went for our next class. I muttered a quick good bye and hurried down to the marble Arts & Crafts building.

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 **A / N:** Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**A / N:** Hi all! Sorry for the wait, I was just a bit busy.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own PJO ... yet. I am very good at persuading people.

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2

I easily lost Holly and Jack in the milling crowd that filled the lawn. Everyone was hurrying to get to their next class, as if afraid to stay outside for too long. I moved with the large crowd into the large Arts & Crafts building, tripping up the stairs. The class was larger than usual. Because many of the buildings required for the other class were in ruins, many groups had to double up.

Inside the large marble building, the room was unexpectedly immaculate. The large doors had not let any of the destruction inside.

I sat down at my usual table that I had adopted a while ago. My seat wasn't with Audrey, Holly or any of the others, but with a son of Hermes named Fabien. He had a strong interest in art and pegasus riding, and he made a better conversation than my other friends. I had found it easier to be around him for extended periods of time, rather than my other friends who seemed to be a constant reminder of Leo.

I waited patiently for Fabien to enter the building and to take his seat next to me. He sat down clumsily due to his thin and gangly frame and almost unhealthy tallness. He brushed his mousy brown hair out of his eyes, chewing his lip nervously. I'm sure Audrey would have sneered at his chin length boy-ish bob, but I just accepted that that was his style. I couldn't deny the hilarity of his last name, however. _Appelbaum._ It was German, I think, and sounded remarkably like Apple Bum.

I _had_ noticed that Fabien could be a little shallow and jealous at times, but he talked about real things. Things that mattered.

"Hey Maia," said Fabien, pulling his chair in and grabbing a knife and a block of wood.

"Hi," I said, smiling and grabbing my own tools for wood chiselling.

"Things seem to be looking pretty bad," he said solemnly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Has Chiron said anything?"

Fabien sighed. "No, but the Hephaestus kids are trying to convince him to let them rebuild."

"What did he say?"

"He says there is no point in wasting good resources."

I bit my lip. Chiron was being stubborn. If we didn't try to help ourselves soon, we would all be dead. Chiron _had_ ordered for guard shifts to protect the boundaries, but one person couldn't do much against a stampeding fire-breathing lizard (one of these had attacked last Monday according to Audrey).

"But we've got pegasus riding lessons day after tomorrow, so d'reckon you'd let me help you?" said Fabien casually.

"Sure," I agreed.

Hanging out with Fabien was just so comfortable, and flying wasn't exactly my A game. He was a good friend.

I dug my knife deeper into the wood, carving out a big chunk. I frowned in concentration, carving shallower, straighter lines. The wood was now a long, stick-like shape. I sharpened off the point and admired my work. It was a pencil. Well, for a novice at wood carving, it was a pretty impressive pencil.

Then my heart froze in my chest. In fact, it seemed to resemble one particular pencil. Leo's black, charcoal pencil that turned into a key. I silently cursed my subconscious mind for making yet another thing that reminded me of Leo. The other Arts & Crafts lessons I had subconsciously made other various reminders out of wood, stone, or marble. Like Leo's sword, carved out of stone, or the green of his eyes in stained glass … I just couldn't seem to be rid of him.

I snapped my wooden pencil in half before Fabien could see it properly. He and Leo slept in the same cabin after all, so he would be bound to recognise it.

"Why'd you do that?" said Fabien reproachfully.

"I messed it up," I lied, throwing the pencil in the bin like a basketball shot, and feeling pleased with myself when it landed in the bin.

"I looked fine to me," said Fabien suspiciously.

"I was a fine detail. I'm a bit of a perfectionist."

I knew Fabien was bound to notice someday, as I ended up throwing out a lot of perfectly good art because of the reminder they'd become. But I always quickly came up with an excuse, and Fabien wasn't very perceptive.

I was about to take a new piece of wood from the pile but the dinner bell went, marking the end of the lesson.

I slipped out of the building with a quick goodbye to Fabien, and headed towards the dining pavilion alone, avoiding all of my friends. I felt the large whole in my chest begin to open up and I winced, stumbling forwards. I hugged my stomach tightly as pain shot through my heart, and I began to gasp for air. I was pretty sure that normal breakups weren't this painful.

I began to change the direction of my stumbling walk. I couldn't go to dinner like this.

The pain in my chest intensified, and it felt like the wound was fresh all over again. After I had left camp once finding my Dad I had spent the first few nights like this, with pain in my chest and gasping for air. I would have nightmares too, and when I woke up the pain came back once I realised that I was alone, and that I would never be able to bury my face in Leo's warm chest for support.

I pushed open the door to my empty cabin and shakily climbed into my bed, furious tears streaming out of my eyes. I was mad at myself. I had lasted a whole week without feeling my heart bleed, and now one stupid pencil carving had set it all off again.

I couldn't go back to Leo now; he probably hates me. I know that I hate me. I buried my face in my pillow, the cotton plugging the tears coming out of my eyes. I was sobbing uncontrollably, and part of my mind was grateful that there was no one else in the cabin to witness this.

I was pathetic crying myself to sleep; I was meant to better than this.

As it turned out, sleep wasn't much better. I had a nightmare. It wasn't a demigod nightmare, just a normal one, though after the experience I would have much preferred the first option.

The dream was incredible déjà vu. I was breaking up with Leo again, but every time I said a word, a great bloody cut appeared on Leo's body, as if I was whipping him with my words. His face was full of hurt and betrayal and the words poured out of my mouth and great slash marks appeared all over his body. Blood squirted out comically, and I felt my heart contract into itself. I tried to stop speaking but all I could do was watch in horror because I couldn't control my mouth. All the horrible things I said before were coming out again, and then I finally said those last two words. _We're done._

The words finally stopped coming and I went to reach out for Leo, but he jerked himself out of the way, his face full of raw emotion. His green eyes were deep with pain, and he shrunk towards himself, as if afraid of me.

"I hate you, Maia," he said in a low voice. Leo gestured to the cuts on his body. "These won't fade, not ever. _You_ did this."

I woke up with tears streaming down my face, facing the wall. I stuffed my fist in my mouth before I sobbed, not wanting to let anyone else hear. I felt terrible, just as terrible as in the dream. The only good thing was that I hadn't woken up screaming, like I had all those other nights. That was progress.

I curled up into myself, trying to stop myself from falling apart. The pain in my chest was ten times worse than ever before, something I hadn't thought possible. For a moment I almost thought my necklace was pulsing, and there was a monster nearby, but it was just the violent hammering of my heart.

I had gotten this nightmare before when I was back at home, and each time it was just as bad as the last, if not worse. I tried to slow my ragged breathing, wiping away my tears. I was the first to wake in the cabin so I decided to get ready for the day, not wanting to lie there and wallow in my bed.

I walked into the bathroom, the cold tiles cooling my warm feet. I turned on the tap and splashed cold water on to my face and began to brush my teeth, ridding myself of morning breath. I looked up at myself in the mirror, gazing at a girl who looked utterly broken inside. I looked away and continued getting ready, dressing into a grey tank top, black jeans and black sneakers. I strapped my sword to my waist and pulled my hair into a low ponytail.

I exhaled deeply, slowing my heart beat down considerably. Then I frowned, as I was hearing two rhythms beating on my chest. I looked down and saw the sapphire necklace pulsing brightly, as it had been all along. I froze. It had been pulsing the whole time. How many people had gotten hurt just because I ignored the stupid necklace?

I raced out of the door just in time to hear a deafening roar, much like the sound of a bellowing bull. I didn't slow down, and another roar sounded, slightly to the left now, as if the monster was moving. I planted my feet down hard and skidded to a stop before turning to the new direction of the sound. My clumsy feet were inclined to get caught on rocks, but in the rush of adrenaline nothing could stop me.

I finally found the place of the monster, right behind the Hermes cabin and backing on to the lake. My heart began beating even faster. I couldn't let it get nearer to the cabin, not with Leo in there.

This worry was slightly damped by the sight the sight of the monster facing, as it gave out another roar. My previous guess about the bull hadn't been far off; this monster had the lower half of a man, and the upper body of a bull. The Minotaur. I caught my breath. I had heard so many tales of this particular monster, but I had kinda been hoping that I would never have to see the Minotaur up close. Grey steam billowed out of the Minotaur's nostrils as it turned to face me.

The Minotaur dragged its hooves across the ground, getting ready to charge. I was about to move out of the way, but then I remembered something that Dad had told me at a rodeo show. Bulls can't change direction very well, so I was hoping that the same applied to the Minotaur.

The Minotaur began to run at top speed, but I held my ground, very close to whimpering as it stared at me with crazed black eyes. I stayed where I was until the very last second, when I could literally feel the Minotaur's breath on my cheek, before darting sideways out to the side. The Minotaur sped right past me and into a nearby tree, its horns wedging themselves into the tough wood. It struggled, roaring in frustration and shaking the ground.

My little scuffle with the monster had given the other campers time to get out of bed and rush to the battle scene. There were many gasps as people spotted the Minotaur, and I vaguely heard someone mutter, "Not another monster again."

Jack appeared at my side, and Leo on his. Leo's hair was sticking up in all directions, defying gravity as they often did after a rough night's sleep. His face was tired, but still as handsome as hell and just as mysterious. I tore my eyes away, and spoke to Jack.

"It's going to get its horns out, and probably propel itself backwards. I need someone to stand behind it to stab it when that happens," I told them.

"You want us to stab the Minotaur's but?" asked Jack.

"Yes."

"Okay, just clearing that up," said Jack, laughing slightly and positioning himself behind the Minotaur.

"And, um, Leo? We could stand on either side of it and press forward until the Minotaur is backing on to the lake," I said, but it came out as more of a question, as I hadn't actually talked to Leo one on one for months.

Leo nodded. "Good plan." His voice was just as nervous as mine.

We quickly ran over and stood on either of the Minotaur, drawing our swords. The Minotaur bellowed and instead of ripping his horns out of the ground, ripped the large fir tree out as well. I watched, slightly awe struck as it swung the massive tree around on its head, another weapon we had to look out for. The good thing was, however, that this now meant that the Minotaur was lopsided and would be off balance.

The Minotaur stumbled around and all three of us took advantage, stabbing and slashing while Jack viciously stabbed the Minotaur's behind.

The Minotaur bellowed and Leo winced at the sounds contact with his eyes. The two boys began to get tired, but I was nowhere near worn out. I continued stabbing, slashing and dodging, always darting out of the way before the Minotaur could land a hit on me.

A couple of the newer campers stared at me in awe, but I kept on fighting. The Minotaur was backed up at the water's edge, in a defensive position. I slashing violently at the Minotaur's muzzle, and it let out a crying yelp. My heart contracted, but I could see the opportunity for a final blow.

"Jack, it's yours," I told him.

Jack gulped and stepped forward for the kill. Leo and I stood on either side of the Minotaur so that it couldn't go anywhere, and Jack plunged his knife through the place the Minotaur's heart would be. I threw my arms over head as brown dust showered itself down on us.

I shook my hair free of dust once it had cleared, sighing with relief. We did it. We beat the Minotaur.

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 **A / N:  
** Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A / N:** Hi all! Sorry for the delay in writing, I was having a bit of trouble thinking of what to write. Well, I had planned, but I wasn't sure how to word it. You get the idea.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the rights to PJO anymore than I own the rights to cookie dough ice-cream.

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3

I stared up into Jack's face. He looked scared and satisfied at the same time, something only a person like Jack could achieve.

I squeezed his shoulder. "You did it."

Jack grinned. At some point the campers began cheering, but I wasn't sure when. The sound was a little too much like roaring for me, so I didn't pay much attention. A few of the campers were also glaring at us, because I'm sure many of them would have wanted to fight the Minotaur and claim the title.

I tore my eyes away from the stony faces and gazed at the lake. A small scrap of Minotaur fur drifted across the calm blue-green water; a small spoil of war. I pointed it out to Jack but he shook his head.

"I'm not going to claim the kill. It was a group effort," he said firmly.

"Thanks."

I gave him a fleeting smile before noticing the man with a white palomino lower body galloping up to us across the lumpy grass. Chiron's face was worried, but also pleased at the same time as if he wasn't expecting the Minotaur to be beaten by so little campers.

"Congratulations, Jack, Leo, Maia," said Chiron, nodding to each of us in turn. "It takes great courage and skill to take down the Minotaur. I am, however, concerned about the numbers of monster attacks. They have been happening more frequently now, and I can only assume that the word has spread that Camp Half-Blood's borders are down. I have a suspicion on why this may be, but I would like you three to accompany me to Thalia's Pine."

We agreed to follow him, all feeling quite cheerful now that Chiron had praised us. Jack was grinning, still on a rush from dealing the final blow. He began to give Chiron a blow-by-blow account of what had happened, describing his every dodge and swipe of his sword. He even offered to demonstrate how he stabbed the Minotaur in the chest, but Chiron hastily declined the offer. I laughed rolling my eyes.

All of us (well, maybe not the hyper-active Jack) were struggling to keep up with Chiron longer horse stride, and every now and then we had to break into a light jog. It evened out, however, when we reached the forest and Chiron had to slow down to travel the rough terrain.

Birds flew out of the trees in fright from the loud noise the cracking pine needles made under our shoes, but I noticed that the birds weren't screeching as they usually. Then I wondered what Chiron's theory was about the failing borders. I agreed with him; I didn't think Thalia's tree was the problem, but I also had suspicions of my own.

We reached the tree, and sure enough it looked as healthy as ever.

"Curious," muttered Chiron. "Very curious."

"What is it?" Leo asked quickly.

Chiron sighed. "My suspicions have been confirmed. It was Nagrata that pulled down the border."

Jack gasped, and my lips formed a thin line. That was what I had thought, too.

"But you three must run along. You have classes to attend to, no need to worry. I will figure something out," Chiron told us, ushering us back towards the main section of camp.

I left the forest, frowning slightly due to the short duration of Chiron's little chat. I had Arts

& Crafts again, and the class was bigger than ever. The Minotaur had disabled the climbing wall in its wild rampage. I hung out with Fabian again because I spotted Leo sitting with Jack, Holly and Audrey, something I wasn't quite ready for yet.

Fabian was babbling (well, boasting really) on about some recent artwork that he had painted; he either hadn't heard about the Minotaur attack or he didn't really care. Then he started rambling about some person who was painting better than him, and how he didn't think that painter should publish their work. I had to admit, Fabian was being crazy jealous … and shallow, and – I shook my head. I shouldn't grudge Fabian. Who else would I sit with? I glanced over at the table where all the others were sitting. The others were laughing and joking, but Leo was sitting there in silence, staring at the empty chair across from him where I would normally sit. I tore my eyes away, picking up a wet paint brush.

All in all, in was the worst lesson of the day. I still wasn't exactly enthusiastic when Holly caught up to walk next to me.

"What is it?" I asked, not unkindly, but definitely sounding tired.

"Well," Holly paused, not sure on how to phrase her request. "I reckon, and the others agree, that you are going to be given a quest."

I stopped walking, taken completely by surprise. "Me? A quest? What did I do?"

Holly shrugged. "You beat the Minotaur."

"Actually, Jack was the one that killed it," I corrected.

"He killed, you beat it, but that's beside the point. Out of all of us, you know Nagrata the best. You understand how he thinks," Holly pressed. "And if it _was_ Nagrata that disabled the borders – and Chiron certainly thinks so – Chiron is going to want _you_ to go and find him."

I bit my lip. "Maybe."

But I knew she was right. Chiron was going to give a quest, and I was his first candidate. I immediately began to feel worried. I had never led a quest before, and I didn't really know how to. What would the quest be for? I looked up at Holly hopefully, but then saw on her face that she wasn't finished.

"You have to choose two people," she said. "But I don't want you to take me."

I nodded. I hadn't thought of that, but I didn't blame Holly for not wanting to go. Quests are messy.

"I still might not get a quest," I told her. "We might be talking about this for nothing."

"Yes you are. I overheard Chiron say so."

I sighed. Trust Holly to already know everything.

"I also don't want you to take Jack," said Holly, but it was more of a plea or a question than a demand this time. "I don't want him to get hurt."

This completely softened me up. "Of course."

Holly smiled and thanked me, before hurrying off to get to dinner. I didn't move from where I was, however. Who would I take? I knew Audrey had told me that she always liked the idea of going on a quest, but who else? Holly and Jack were out, and so was Leo. Leo on the quest would become way too difficult. I didn't really like the idea of taking someone I didn't really know … Fabien? He was the only other person, but I wasn't sure I could put up with his constant gloating. I put my head in my hands. I didn't know what I was going to do.

I had to get up though, because the babbling sound coming from the dining pavilion was getting louder, and I didn't want to miss dinner. Fighting the Minotaur had made me extra hungry. I skipped over to cabin ten's table, plopping myself down on the hard wooden bench next to Audrey. People around us were beginning to stand up, scraping portions of their food into the fire. I hastily piled food on my plate and fell into line behind Connor Stoll. I kept my distance warily, not putting anything past one of the famous thieving Stoll brothers.

When it was my turn to stand in front of the flickering flames I used my knife to push a generous fraction of my meal into the fire.

"For the gods," I murmured, before adding, "And Mum, if you're there, please help us."

I walked back to my table, feeling slightly better now that I had at least tried to contact Aphrodite. All the campers begun to dig in, and I followed their lead, feasting on the remaining part of my dinner.

"Audrey," I said thickly through a mouthful of mashed potato.

"Yeah?" she responded, looking up.

"I just wanted to ask –" I began, stopping Chiron interrupted all of us, rapping a spoon on his glass of wine which Mr D eyed greedily.

 _Later,_ Audrey mouthed. I nodded, but I knew that I there was no point in talking to Audrey later. I was going to ask her about the quest, but Chiron was probably about to announce it anyway.

Chiron cleared his throat and the silence died down slightly. Mr D muttered something about ungrateful little brats, and Travis Stoll threw a burger at him.

Dionysus stood up, his face contorted in fury. "WHO DID THAT?!"

Travis sniggered, and ducked his head. Chiron put an arm on Mr D's hairy hand and sat him back down. Mr D's rage had worked wonders, however, and now all the campers were silent.

"Settle down, settle down," said Chiron in a ringing voice.

The last few whispers were cut short. I sat closer to the table, dreading the moment when it would come, positioning myself so that my curtain of dark hair was hiding my face.

"I am here to announce a quest!" boomed Chiron, and all the voices began talking excitedly again.

"QUIET!" he bellowed.

Half the population flinched, and grew silent again.

"A quest to save camp is not to be taken with excited chatter!" scolded Chiron. "And I have chosen someone who does not consider quests to be so light hearted."

 _He got that right._

"And someone who is brave, but also loyal enough to hand over a final kill."

 _Way to be obvious, Chiron._

"Maia Lightwood, do you accept this quest?"

Loud whispering filled the dining hall, as if thousands of leaves were rustling in all four corners of the room. I blushed deeply and stood up, feeling extremely nervous.

"Yes, I accept this quest," I said, trying to sound confident but I could tell my voice was shaking.

There was no going back now, it was locked in. Chiron beckoned me up the front and I weaved my way through the tables up to the front, my face turning tomato red. I was just glad I didn't trip over my own feet on the way up.

Chiron gave a small chuckle at my expense. "Maia, you are allowed to take two people with you. Who do you choose?"

I chewed on my lip nervously. "Audrey Spendlove."

Audrey's face was full of surprise, but then she looked up at me and beamed. A couple boys fainted. She practically bounced her way up to where I was standing and squeezed my hand.

"Thank you," she whispered, her face lit up like New York City at night.

Chiron smiled. "Who else do you choose?"

I paused. I still hadn't decided yet. The crowd of campers stared expectantly at me, their eyes eager.

"Leo," burst out Audrey. "She chooses Leo."

* * *

 **A / N:** Hehe, I like Audrey in this moment. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A / N:** So, so, sorry about the delay in posting! Please don't yell at me! I was suffering a bit of writer's block and I had so many tests and excuses I had planned that probably sound lame. Thanks to you guys who bothered sticking around this long.

 **Disclaimer:** If any of you guys remember, I don't own PJO.

* * *

4

My mouth dropped open in horror as I watched Chiron guide Leo up to the front next to us. No, not him.

"Audrey! How could you do that?" I whispered to her, my voice full of venom.

Audrey cringed. "Sorry, it just came out."

I gritted my teeth and stared fiercely in the other direction. Of course Chiron thought Audrey was actually speaking on my behalf, and not choosing who _she_ wanted on the quest. Leo stood on my other side, as directed from Chiron. I felt my hands begin to shake, and I balled them into fists. My chest was screaming again, and the hole in my heart forced itself open, Leo's presence breaking the stitches that held the wound together.

"Maia Lightwood! Audrey Spendlove! Leo Whitmore!" cheered the campers enthusiastically.

I noticed a couple people muttering to their neighbours. Leo and my breakup hadn't exactly been a secret, so the campers would be gossiping for days about this new development. Audrey took my hand and held it in the air, encouraging me to do the same with Leo. My lungs suddenly expanded, threatening to choke me. I stiffly wound my fingers through Leo's and held his hand in the air. My insides dissolved as I felt his soft warm palm pressed against mine, and I stubbornly refused to look at either of my quest partners; Audrey, because I was mad at her and Leo because I didn't think I would be able to survive so much as a simple glance.

The cheering soon died down and I was able to relinquish the others' grip, turning to face Chiron for the next instruction. He beckoned to us, and we bent down to hear him.

"The camp is not to know too much about the quest," said Chiron before grimacing and continuing. "It displeases me to say this, but we have cause to suspect that there may be a spy – or spies – inside of camp. It is for that reason that I do not feel comfortable announcing the detailed purposes of this quest."

We nodded, and my stomach squirmed queasily. A spy inside of camp? Who would want to work for someone like Nagrata? I could see Audrey out the corner of my eye giving me a furtive glance but I didn't return it, reminding myself that I was mad at her.

Dinner was almost over and slowly the dining hall began to empty. Yawns filled the air, prompting me to do one of my own, my face turning as I tried in vain to stifle it. Chiron chuckled, and stood up. "Follow me."

We followed him, Mr D also in tow muttering darkly to himself about nothing too serious. Mainly just his wine restrictions. The sky had turned a deep burgundy in the aftermath of the setting sun, splattered with lighter purple blotches that were clouds. The sky, despite its pretty colour, looked gloomy, almost as if was about to rain. I shivered, and Audrey linked her arm around my waist. I did the same, forgetting to be angry at her and just feeling grateful for the extra warmth. This winter was going to be tough.

Inside the Big House, Chiron sat us all down on the couch. This time I wedged Audrey between me and Leo, much to her protest. Chiron smoothly changed into his wheel chair form and wheeled to a halt in front of us.

"Now, I have told you that it is the magic of Nagrata that has withheld the power of our camp barrier – he has learned more from his mother than I had hoped, but I had not told you about how this particular would have been made," said Chiron, immediately gaining my attention with Nagrata's name. "A powerful spell like this would have been too much magic to contain in a demigod body. It would have to be tied to some sort of object or magical creature, but I lean towards the former option. An object of such is called an Anchor."

We all nodded, and I saw Audrey frown slightly. My brain, too, was finding this information a little hard to process. How come I had never heard of Anchors before, if they were so important?

"You three must destroy this Anchor with no hesitation. It is the only thing tying down camp's barriers and with it destroyed, the border will be up again," said Chiron, his face deeply serious.

"Where is it?" asked Audrey, spotting the flaw in the plan. "We have no idea where it is?"

Chiron's face suddenly looked very tired again. "I do not know. It will be in our continent of America, as almost all the magical influence had shifted here. Nagrata is also likely to be very close to the Anchor. As to the exact whereabouts, I was hoping the Oracle may be of help there." Chiron stared right into my eyes. "Maia, it is time for you to get your prophecy."

My whole body stiffened. I had forgotten about this part, and I wasn't exactly keen about it either. I remembered how shaken Leo had looked after he had collected his prophecy. Chiron stared at me expectantly and I stood up, copying Leo by staring at the floor.

"Up the stairs and on the left," Chiron told me.

I followed his instruction and exited the main room into a longer wooden hallway. I had never gone past the first room of the Big House, but the hallway was much the same. Wooden but clean, tainted with the sweet smell of ambrosia. There was a red running rug that spread down the stretch of floorboards, coming to a stop at some wonky stairs. The stairs were ridiculously creaky, and I cringed with each step. I lay my right foot on the crooked stair, tensed up for the noise that didn't come. My shoulders relaxed, and I put my left foot beside my right. A loud squeak erupted from the wood, hurting my ears. I gritted my teeth to stop myself from snapping at the stair – talking to inanimate objects was never a good sign.

I soon reached the room Chiron directed me too. It was dark and decorated with cobwebs and many objects cluttered the floor space. I bent to take a closer look at one of them; a jar containing one long red stinger. I looked at the label and my breath hitched in my chest. _Giant Scorpion Sting – retrieved by Jackson Cartwright and Leo Whitmore_. I chewed my lip and moved on from the reminder of my first quest. All the other objects also seemed to be trinkets or spoils of war from previous quests.

I took in all this in about ten seconds before I looked down the room as a whole. My stomach lurched. At the far end of the attic a grey bandaged mummy stood crookedly, blocking the filtered light from the window. The mummy was covered in draping cobwebs, and seemed to radiate gloom. I immediately felt like saying, 'Oops, sorry, wrong room," but I held my own. I approached the Oracle carefully, trying to take in everything about her. It was a slow procession.

I stopped about a meter away from the grey bandages and opened my mouth.

"Um," I began. What was I mean to ask? There wasn't exactly a manual on addressing Oracles. I decided to go for the old fashioned method. "What is my destiny?"

I stumbled back. Yeah, it definitely would have been nice to have that manual. Emerald smoke bellowed out of the bandages where the Oracle's mouth would have been. Then she started to speak. It sounded like a thousand different voices were speaking at different pitches, all mashed into one. It was very disorientating. The words she spoke however, had a greater impact.

 _Two doves, a thief must prevail,_

 _Travelling through the icy hail,_

 _The anchor is found,_

 _Through wits and sound,_

 _Yet another is recovered,_

 _From sister to brother,_

 _Failing will spawn thrice deaths,_

 _And one must take their final breath._

I stumbled back feeling dizzy. Failing equals death? From sister to brother? My insides sloshed around my stomach as I tried to process the information. In the corner the Oracle was dead still, so motionless I could almost believe it had never happens.

I swallowed violently against my stomachs lurching, and made my way back down the creaky stairs. My feet made little sound on the red rug, but I could hear two people stand up as soon as I opened the next, rather loud door. I hesitated before going any further. I should probably contain my queasiness before I went out to Audrey, Chiron and Leo. I caught sight of my reflection in a mirror on the wall, and saw that my face was very pale and slightly green. There was nothing I could do about that.

I walked out into the room and saw that Leo and Audrey were already standing up, waiting. I sat down quickly in the space beside Audrey, knowing that if I stood for too long I was sure to throw up.

"Are you okay?" asked Leo quietly.

I froze for a small moment. He actually _spoke_ to me. I quickly relaxed my body and nodded. "Yeah. I think so."

I could see Audrey smiling out of the corner of my eye and stubbornly refused to give her anymore satisfaction by trying to avoid Leo's concerned gaze.

"Maia," said Chiron, leaning forward so much in his armchair that he almost toppled out of it. "Could we hear the prophecy?"

I agreed and recite the prophecy. Some of the lines that I was confused about came out as more of a question, and others that I was afraid of came out as barely a whisper. Chiron stroked his chin thoughtfully when he was done, but then stopped abruptly which I took as a sign to show that we were about to decode the rhyming lines.

"Well, _Two doves, a thief must prevail,_ it pretty easy," said Audrey. "That just means Maia, Leo and me."

"And _I_ , you mean," I corrected automatically and Chiron smirked in a way that reminded me of my school English teacher.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "But what's with this _icy hail_ business?"

"That would mean that Nagrata is in the most magically snowy of the continent," said Chiron, as if it was something obvious that we should have figured out ourselves.

"And where is that?" asked Audrey impatiently.

Chiron chuckled. "In the whole continent, what place seems particularly snowy?"

We all thought for a moment.

"New York?" suggested Audrey.

Chiron shook his head. "No, there is a snowier place than New York, and I am extremely glad that Nagrata is not in our dear city. That would be way too close for my liking."

I chewed my lip, deep in thought. Leo's brows were furrowed adorably as he racked his brain, and I retracted my gaze, feeling an all too familiar pain in my chest.

"Canada?" asked Leo finally.

Chiron beamed. "Yes! Now, do you know which city?"

"Gander!" I blurted out.

I had just remembered a geography lesson from school that stood out particularly. That is, well, because I accidently set my teacher's hair on fire.

"Exactly," said Chiron, looking pleased. "Nagrata is in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada."

I smiled at our success.

"So the next lines of the prophecy," began Audrey, looking slightly miffed that she didn't guess right. " _The Anchor is found, through wits and sound._ That means that we find the Anchor. Good news!"

Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you are quite right."

Audrey puffed out her chest and I stifled a giggle. Then I sobered, thinking of the next two lines of the prophecy. The lines that worried me the most.

"But what about the next two?" I said quietly. " _Yet another is recovered, from sister to brother."_

Chiron's face wave suddenly very grave. "Yes. Maia, I have talked with your father about this a long time ago, and now all the pieces have come together."

I hoped no one could hear my heart, because it was hammering its way out of my chest. _Sister._ I only had one sister. Emma. But that couldn't be right! She went missing, yes, but she was surely … well, dead. My hands shook slightly and I silently cursed the recent events. I already had one whole in my heart, and I didn't need an old hole reopened. It was the first time I'd admitted to myself that she _was_ dead, but I knew I was right. But with what Chiron was saying, was she really. My suspicions grew into wild accusations and I looked up at Chiron.

"And?"

"Maia, Nagrata has your sister. And I think he has all this time."

I suddenly felt very faint. Emma. He had _Emma._ I rested my body on the back of the couch. My hands were shaking violently and I sat on them in an effort to keep them still.

"But she's dead," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Chiron shook his head and I began to feel queasy again. Audrey and Leo looked both surprised and utterly confused.

"Hang on a second. Maia has a sister?" Audrey said, her voice raised. She looked at me sternly. "Why did you not tell me this?"

"I thought she was dead," I whispered, tears threatening to leave the safety of my eyes.

"Maia," said Chiron. "I think you should tell your friends what happened.

I swallowed. I didn't really want to relive the painful memory. Even so, Leo and Audrey had a right to know. I hated to look at the puzzled expression that covered the small hurt on Leo's face because I had never told him about Emma. In truth I hadn't told anyone, because there was no need. She had left my life forever.

"Emma," I began, my voice several octaves higher but still strong. "Well, um, she was sort of like one of those mystery cases. Unsolved, you know. She went missing when she was only eleven. It was a hide and seek game and, um," my voice began to break at this point. "We never found her. Emma and I were … really close. As close as sisters get. It was one of those rare cases where sisters get along," I laughed shakily. "But when the year mark past after she disappeared, we all knew she was dead. But now I know that she wasn't, and I just really don't know what to think."

My voice cracked and Audrey hugged me close to her. Luckily my tears had stayed in my eyes, but they wobbled on the edge dangerously. Leo's face was sad as he looked at my own upset face, but he knew he was in no position to comfort me.

The rest of the talk went quickly. We quickly skipped over the part of the prophecy that said if we failed we would die, as well as the final breath part. We discussed our methods of transport (we decided to catch a plane, because we _did_ have to make it to Canada after all), and we listed all our travelling needs (ambrosia squares, fake passports, etc.) We kept talking until Chiron looked out the window and saw that the night sky was beginning to lighten. He showed us out the door, muttering something about the last time a god had punished him for depriving their demigod child of sleep.

Alone in my cabin bunk bed however, I didn't want sleep. I didn't want to close my eyes and face the nightmare to come. The nightmares starring me and Leo were beginning to change and intensify. Sometimes it was the breakup, sometimes it was my leaving home alone in the forest to fend for himself, and sometimes in was me that was alone in the forest as I searched for Leo, only to find nothing, because there was nothing to search for. I sipped an illegal tea quietly in my bed, refusing to go to sleep despite the fact that we weren't allowed to have drinks in bed this late. I lay there, staring at the wall as my heart kept in time with the name pounding in my head.

 _Emma. Emma. Emma._

* * *

 **** **A / N:  
** Poor Maia. Poor Leo. Poor Emma. I was actually wondering if any of you guys remembered Emma from the start of Maia Lightwood and the Devil's Maze. Just curious. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**A / N:** Hi all! New chapter, I guess. Hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own PJO in the real world. In my brain's imagination, that is an entirely different matter.

* * *

5

I didn't want to get up. I had wanted to _wake_ up, definitely, as my dreams had been riddled with horrible mortal nightmares starring a very handsome male actor that hated my guts. A small, dark haired child actor had also appeared in my dreams for the first time in a whole year, something I hadn't been anticipating. Even so, as much as I wanted to escape the cages of my sheets, the bed was just too comfortable and my dreary mind was all too happy to avoid the daytime altogether.

"Maia, if you don't wake up by the time I count to ten –"

I looked up, my eyes squinting against the light, to see Audrey holding a pillow threateningly over my head.

"I'm up," I mumbled, pushing myself up into a sitting position against my sub-consciousness' will.

"Oh," said Audrey, sitting down on the corner of my bed. "Sorry. Bad dreams again?"

"Yeah," I replied whilst wiping sleep out of my eyes. "How'd you know?"

"You were whimpering in your sleep."

I tried for a laugh. "Still better than screaming, though, right?"

Audrey nodded wisely as we both remembered that first month after my little unauthorized quest. Not many of the cabin 10 residents had managed to get much sleep with me around, and it had been Audrey's job to calm me down.

"Breakfast soon?" I asked, all too willing to disrupt our chain of thought.

Audrey nodded. "In an hour. Will you let me dress you today?"

She looked so hopeful I couldn't resist. "Okay, but all the clothes are from _my_ wardrobe."

Holly, Audrey and I left the Aphrodite cabin feeling refreshed, mainly from the water that we had taken pleasure in splashing in each other's faces. Audrey had restrained herself when she dressed me. I was wearing a denim skirt with a simple navy sweater over the top and brown leather boots. The boots and skirt weren't very practical, but all I had was pegasus riding lessons today and a few too many free periods in the afternoon. I had guard duty after dinner, but there was plenty of time to get changed before then.

Audrey and I didn't talk much on the walk down, but nodded in agreement every time Holly paused her endless chatter. She must have picked up on our silence, but decided not to push us too much. Audrey's face was knitted in an anxious frown, and I could tell mine was the same. Chiron had told us that we were leaving for the quest soon, but I think I'd tuned out when he mentioned the specific time. Even so, I was nervous enough to refrain from talking much.

We sat down at our usual end of the Aphrodite table and waited for the dining hall to fill up. I spotted Fabien waving at me from the Hermes table, but I was having trouble concentrating on Fabien when a pair of green eyes were avoiding my gaze right next to him. I finally figured out that Fabien was mouthing _see you soon,_ and pointing to the pegasus stables over my shoulder. My mood instantly lowered as I remembered that I'd agreed to let him help me with pegasus riding. Great. Now I was going to be treated to one-hundred and one aerobatic tricks by Fabien Appelbaum.

The other campers were all eating now, helping themselves to waffles and toast while chattering cheerfully. I looked over at my empty plate and sighed. I was way too nervous and worried about the quest to eat, and it wasn't even my first time on a quest. I glanced over at Audrey to see how she was coping because she had a greater reason to be nervous than myself. Audrey's fair skin had turned a pale shade of green.

"You two are being ridiculous," scolded Holly.

I frowned. I thought Audrey and I had every right to be nervous.

"You _have_ to eat!"

Oh. That's what it was. Instead of obeying Holly I avoided confrontation and turned to encourage Audrey.

"The quest will be alright, Audrey. It's not like the task is to fight a monster, we just have to find an object and get rid of it," I told Audrey in fake cheer.

Holly looked confused. She hadn't actually known what the quest was about. Oops.

Audrey chewed her lip. "And _your_ last quest was to go fruit picking, but you still got in trouble with monsters." Audrey looked down. "And I've never faced a monster before …"

My gaze softened. "That's not true. You fought the Hydra, remember? And anyway, that last quest involved some very unstable pegasi and lots of bad luck. We'll be fine."

"You were the one who actually killed the Hydra. I got hurt. But I do agree with you. You have an unhealthy amount of bad luck," Audrey said, looking slightly more positive.

I grinned and Audrey cracked a small smile. Then the shrill sound of the bell signaling the end of breakfast filled the air, causing half the population to slap their hands over their ears against the sound and making Will Solace mutter a few choice words.

"Bye," I muttered, leaving Holly and Audrey and unwillingly making my way over to Fabien.

Fabien was literally bouncing with excitement, his long thin hair swinging around his head. I fell into step beside him while he began a lecture on how he likes to mount his favourite pegasus. Trust Fabien to show off at a time like this. I stared at the ground, pretending to be extremely focused on not tripping over stray pebbles.

The stables had obviously suffered some wear over the last couple of monster attacks, but the pegasi inside the toppling wooden stalls weren't phased. I could have even swore one of them was trying to say 'doughnuts'. Half a dozen campers were already at the stables, either grouped around an instructor or putting fresh straw into the stalls.

As Fabien and I drew closer to the sagging wooden structure I glanced around, looking for my usual steed.

"Where's Shadow?" I asked, slightly puzzled.

Fabien grinned. "She ate too much. With her weight she's beginning to have a bit of trouble flying. They put her in quarantine."

I laughed at the thought of a pudgy silver pegasus munching grass in a quarantine paddock.

"Don't worry Maia, I'll find you another one. Shadow just needs trimming up a little," said Fabien, his lips curving up at the corner.

Fabien led me by the arm into the stables and began opening the wooden doors. He peered into each stall and scrutinized every horse, his lips curling back at the ones he didn't like. I didn't know whether to be annoyed at him for finding the smallest imperfection in every pegasus when they were otherwise perfect, or to be pleased that he cared so much about finding me the perfect one.

Fabien finally found a pegasus he thought was suitable for me, and led it out of its stall with a mangled rope. It had a dark chocolate brown coat and large brown eyes that stared up at me adorably. My brows furrowed. It looked strangely familiar …

"Maia, meet Thunder," said Fabien, smiling smugly.

My whole body stiffened. That's why Thunder seemed familiar. He was the pegasus that Leo had ridden on the last quest. I recovered from my shock and instinctively began to relax myself, rolling my shoulders back and forth.

"I don't know," I mumbled.

Fabien frowned. "You don't like him?"

"Of course I like him! Just … never mind. He's perfect."

I didn't know how to tell Fabien that he had just chosen the absolute _worst_ pegasus for me, seeing as he had taken so long in choosing the right one. Fabien led Thunder over to a stool, and gestured me to mount him. I chewed my lip and used the stool to help me mount the tall pegasi. Thunder nickered, sensing my discomfort.

"It not you, Thunder," I murmured into Thunder's ear, low enough that Fabien couldn't hear.

I swung my leg over Thunder's flank and shuffled into a comfortable position.

"Shove over," said Fabien, standing up on to the stool himself (I didn't know why he needed it, he was so tall).

I inched myself forward, but then stopped. Why was Fabien riding the same pegasus? Surely he could coach me from a different horse …

"Fabien, I –" I began, turning around.

"It's fine, Maia. I'm just here to keep you balanced," said Fabien smoothly, but I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth.

He slid on to Thunder behind me, his body uncomfortably close to mine. I shifted forwards, trying to keep some distance between us, but any further and I would be on Thunder's neck. Fabien reached his hands past me to position mine around Thunder's neck. Shivers went down my spine as his clammy skin gripped mine, and I had to resist the urge to jump off Thunder right then and there.

By the time I'd reached my decision it was too late, and Fabien had slapped Thunder's rear to urge him into flight. I clung desperately on to Thunder, leaning forward over his smooth chocolate hair. Fabien said nothing as Thunder climbed higher, but he occasionally sniggered at other failing riders. I shifted uncomfortably at his cruelty, more keen to put space between us than ever.

Thunder suddenly evened out his flight and I was able to loosen my hold on him. I made the mistake of leaning back and my back collided with Fabien's scrawny chest.

"Careful there," he murmured, and put his clammy hands on my waist to keep me balanced.

I felt the sudden urge to slap his hands away and I swallowed violently, trying to focus on flying Thunder straight. It kept on nagging at my mind that we were riding _Leo's_ pegasus.

"Maia, look at me," said Fabien softly.

I frowned, but in trusting Thunder to keep us airborne I turned around to face him.

"What? Fabie-" I was cut off short as Fabien pressed his chapped lips against mine.

I froze, my eyes widening. _No, this could not be happening!_

"No, I don't –" I protested, but Fabien shut me up with another kiss.

"Fabien stop!" I half-shouted in panic.

I didn't want him kissing me. I didn't want him _near_ me. His lanky hair brushed against me face and I curled away, but there was nowhere to hide on Thunder's chocolate back. I looked down at the ground, but we were extremely high. I thought for a moment that if I rolled to brace the impact I might make it to the ground with only one broken bone, but I snapped out of it. Broken bones weren't worth it. Well, they seemed worth it while Fabien slobbery mouth was on mine. I kept my lips firmly shut and edged away into the inch of space I had left.

I looked down again and saw to my personal torment the usual rider of Thunder staring at Fabien and I with a horror struck expression. His greens eyes were full of horror and raw anguish, and I wished there were some way to let Leo know that I didn't want this, and that it was all Fabien. My mouth fell open in shock, and Fabien pressed the advantage. I closed my lips hurriedly, feeling like I was about to vomit.

"Fabien if you don't stop, I'll scream," I threatened, but Fabien was too engaged with his own activities to protest.

I slapped his hands off me, seriously considering diving straight off Thunder on to the ground. Fabien closed his mouth on mine, and that was the last straw. I screamed.

Fabien didn't even seem fazed. I kept on wailing, struggling against his grip to turn back around. It was bad enough that Fabien was doing this, but _Leo had seen him._ Fabien put a firm hand on my shoulder, so I turned around and bit it.

"Maia-" he said reproachfully, but didn't pull back.

I let out another whimpering scream as he pulled closer. There was only one pegasus rider that was in reasonable distance, and I immediately recognized the head of fiery hair. _Holly._ I trusted Holly to have the fastest pegasus around, and with that in mind I decided to do something only someone extremely desperate would do. I jumped off Thunder and into the open air.

My immediately thought was, _I've been falling for way too long._ Only I thought too soon, and my tail bone collided with a chestnut coloured pegasi. Holly was sitting in front of me, shaking her head.

"Maia, that was extremely stupid. Still, given the fact that you were with that … well, not nice person, I forgive you," said Holly in a strained voice, trying to conceal what exactly she was thinking about Fabien at that moment. I guessed that she had witnessed what had happened up on Thunder's back.

I was too relieved to speak, so I just clung tightly to my friend, my face buried in her hair. Holly began calling Fabien some very un-ladylike words while she urged her pegasus away from Thunder and the monstrosity. I buried my face deeper into her shoulder, my face red with shame.

"It wasn't your fault," said Holly kindly, getting ready to land her pegasi.

"He – he – I didn't do anything!" I stammered, traitor tears beginning to stream across my cheeks.

"I know, I know," soothed Holly, bending her body at once into a more comfortable position for me to cry on.

"And Leo saw!" I sobbed. "He's going to think … but it's not true!"

Holly didn't answer, and it took me a moment to realize why. It was the first time I had mentioned Leo since, well, before I broke up with him. Since I thought about him so much, I hadn't thought that my sudden interest in Leo would shock Holly.

Holly landed her pegasus smoothly, and helped me of its back. I then recognized the horse as Blaze, Jack's usual steed. I wondered vaguely how Holly had managed to tame him. We walked back to cabin 10, and Holly sat me down on of the wooden trunks at the end of her brother James' bunk.

She stared at me with a calculating expression before saying, "I'm getting Audrey. I have a feeling that I'm out of my depth. You. Stay. Here."

I watched her leave in silence, my face bowed with embarrassment and shame.

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 **A / N:  
** Everyone tell me your thoughts on Fabien in the reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

**A / N:** Hullo! Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, but Fan Fiction stopped working (under maintenance, I think) so I couldn't post anything. Sorry 'bout that. Hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own PJO, Rick Riordan does.

* * *

6

"I didn't do anything," I told Audrey for the twenty-second time.

"I know, I know," said Audrey. "But really, why were you even friends with Fabien?"

I mumbled something unintelligible and played with my hair.

Holly sighed. "Don't beat yourself up about it Maia, it wasn't your fault. No, it wasn't Audrey. I saw. It was all Apple Bum."

I didn't correct her name calling. In fact, I even smiled.

Audrey chewed her lip. "I know, but you're the quest leader, Maia, and we're leaving after lunch. You need to pull yourself together."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Leaving after … leaving in two hours!"

"Yes, that's what Chiron said. Weren't you listening?"

"No!"

Holly laughed. "Come on Maia, let's get you into some suitable clothing."

I looked down at my navy sweater, skirt and boots. Definitely not suitable for questing. I grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I didn't let my mind dwell on the horrible happenings of the pegasus riding. Now that I was away from the situation, what Fabian did wasn't my biggest worry. I was more anxious about the fact that Leo had seen. He probably thought that I was kissing Fabien back, and that I had moved on. I know I would've thought that if the roles were swapped. But it wasn't true, because I definitely hadn't kissed Fabien and although I had tried so hard, I hadn't moved on. I remembered how Dad had asked me if I thought breaking up with Leo was the right thing to do. I had thought it was then, but now I wasn't so sure.

I snapped myself out of my thoughts with some cold water splashed in my face and began to get dressed. Simple camp clothing. Jeans, Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, converses and a low ponytail. In the mirror I looked just as I had when I had first come to camp. No worry lines, and no stylish clothes. I liked this me better, but I knew it was fake. One tiny incident and the façade would crumble.

I managed to hold myself together and joined Holly and Audrey for lunch at the dining pavilion. We were a bit late, and we only just caught the tail end of the line heading to the bonfire. The flames shot warmth into my face, and I winced as a stray spark landed in my ear.

"For Aphrodite," I murmured before quickly adding. "Mum, you're sort of the god of my issues, so a little help would be nice."

I travelled back to my table and wedged myself in between Holly and Megan, trying to ignore they're conversation on finding the right foundation to match your skin tone. Megan was currently discussing how her foundation was too orange (I couldn't disagree with than) and Holly was talking about how she could never find a foundation pale enough for her skin (I believed that too). Their voices were becoming whiny and heated, so it was hard to not hear them.

Holly and Meg's voices were soon rivalled as loud shouting issued from the Hermes table. I quickly turned around to look, and saw a fully-fledged food fight. Roast potatoes were flying everywhere, and I ducked as a kidney pie soared over my head. All the campers had turned around in their seats to watch, and some were slyly picking up ammo from the food tables.

I squinted my eyes, trying to see who was at the thick of the fight. To my dismay I saw Fabien standing there and covered in mashed potato. Leo was opposite him, raw egg dripping down his forehead and a furious expression on his face.

"Tom started it on behalf of, well, on behalf of Leo," said Megan in a voice that made me unsure of she was happy or sad about the development.

The table was full of mayhem but I couldn't tear my eyes away despite the hollow feeling building in my stomach and throat. Muffled yells filled the air that sounded vaguely like "Apple bum!". I soon noticed that Leo wasn't throwing food; he was just standing there as food was pelted at him and the others around him. I immediately wanted to ask him why he wasn't fighting back as Fabien was, but I didn't. A potato hit Leo on the shoulder and he winced. Somebody sniffled as if they were crying. Then I realized that person was me.

I stared as another raw egg was thrown and cracked on Leo's already food covered forehead. Then I snapped.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" I screamed, forgetting what power my voice had as I accidently used charmspeak.

Everybody stopped and looking at me. I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth, just as surprised at what I did as anyone else. Leo was staring at me too but to my frustration I couldn't read his expression.

"Thank you, Maia," said Chiron, breaking the silence. "I am sad to announce that the Hermes cabin will be on dishes duty for dinner tonight."

Even one from the Hermes table groaned. The tension in the room eased and soon people were laughing at the odd event. Every now and then a chocolate muffin would hit an unsuspecting camper in the face, but not often enough for Chiron to notice. Lunch was going way too quickly. I checked my watch nervously, my shoulders hunched up with a mixture of nervousness and apprehension. I glanced over and saw Audrey in an identical position. I still wasn't sure on how the quest would go. I was the quest leader, so I had to guide Leo and Audrey. Apart from that fact being uncomfortable for the obvious circumstances, they were both campers that had been at camp much longer than I had.

I hugged my arms around myself, because suddenly my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt was very cold. Lunch time came to a close and the campers were dismissed. Chiron ordered Audrey, Leo and I to meet him at the Big House, and Holly gave us all (yes, even Leo) a big hug and wished us luck. Leo looked awkward as boys often do when they are shown any form of affection.

Chiron ushered us from the Big House to the bus stop near camp. He took the walking trail that had mashed the pine needles into hard packed earth, but I was annoyed because I knew it was the longer route. The dangerous route the Jack, Leo and I had taken through the forest previously was a lot faster.

"Argus will drive you to the airport," Chiron informed us, gesturing to our ride.

It was a duplicate of the purple wannabe taxi that Mr. Gleeson had delivered me to camp in. I knew it wasn't the real thing because if my memory served me right, Wannabe Taxi Numero Uno had gotten beat up pretty bad. Argus sat in the front seat and waved to us. The friendly gesture looked a little disturbing as all one thousand and two of his eyes blinked at the same time. I noticed Argus had brushed his blonde surfer hair over his face to conceal some of his less attractive eyes on his forehead.

I was about to enter the purple car when Chiron's hand gripped my shoulder.

"This is a very dangerous quest, so do not take your tasks lightly," said Chiron in a low voice so that Argus couldn't hear.

I nodded. I already knew that.

"Maia, I know the official reason for the quest is to find and destroy the Anchor, but I personally want you to find your sister. If you find and destroy the Anchor do not leave its location; Emma is likely to be nearby. You understand?"

"Yes, Chiron," I assured him. "I will _not_ leave my sister behind."

"Me too. She _is_ my half-sister," Audrey explained.

"No one is left behind," confirmed Leo. "Except Nagrata. He can just go crawl in a hole and die."

Audrey and I laughed in appreciation and Chiron chuckled.

"I would like the world a lot better if it was that easy, Mr. Whitmore," said Chiron, still chuckling.

It was the first time Chiron had addressed Leo like that, and Leo did not like that passed up.

"You make me sound like a business man," he complained.

"You are a business man. A business man in the industry of questing and killing things," I told him.

Leo grinned. "Still, I'd hate to just be remembered for questing and killing things. I have a lot more on my bucket list."

I laughed. For a moment it seemed as if nothing had ever happened, and we were about to set off on our first quest. I wished it could stay like that forever, but it didn't. Leo thought of our unusual joking that had happened at the very same moment as I had. It immediately sobered us both up.

Chiron handed us backpacks with our plane tickets, fake passports, mortal money, golden drachmas, ambrosia, nectar and a bunch of other stuff to fill our questing needs. I hopped into Wannabe Taxi 2.0 first, snagging the window seat. Audrey followed next and Leo took the other window seat.

"Good luck," said Chiron with a very confusing expression that consisted of bright smiling eyes and a tight grim smile.

"We'll need it," sighed Audrey as Argus revved the engine loudly.

Argus got us on to the road and with a massive jolt of the car that meant we had driven off the curb I only just realized that our two left wheels had been on the side walk. Great driving, Argus. Five stars. Then I wondered whether Argus had even taken a driver's test. I mean, he has a lot of eyeballs and the driving instructor might panic at the sight of them. I suppose the Mist could have covered them up.

I was distracted from my thoughts when I saw Audrey offering me an earbud, clearly asking if I wanted to join her in the common teenage girl activity of listening to pop music. I obliged. It was nice bonding with Audrey this way, as it didn't include any talking from either of us, but I felt bad because we were sort of excluding Leo. I began to further regret my decision due to Audrey's song choice. The current song was about two ex-lovers; the girl had moved away and was careless about ex-lovers feelings, and now her ex-lover hated her.

 _It took me by surprise,  
The hatred in his eyes,  
I've pushed this man as far as he could go,  
But he lacked the words to let me know,  
He acted out, now I can see it is my fault._

Yeah, now you know why I didn't exactly feel comfortable with the song. **(A/N: This is actually a real song. It's 'It took me by surprise' by Maria Mena)**. It pretty summed up me and Leo. I looked over at Audrey who had either planned this or was happily oblivious as she bopped her head to the music. I took out my ear bud and handed it back to her, only to be replied with a puzzles look. _Okay, time to improvise._

"I think we should talk about the quest," I said, even though it was the exact opposite of what I wanted.

As Leo and Audrey looked at me expectantly I immediately began to hate being quest leader. I couldn't be the one that asks "What do we do know?" anymore. It was all up to me.

"Well, so we know that Nagrata can do magic as a son of Hecate. He probably has some really good control of the Mist because of that, too," I began, not sure where I was leading this. "He also has that girl Krystal on his side, so we'll have to watch out for her as well."

Leo nodded and Audrey said, "Who's Krystal?"

Oh yeah. Audrey wasn't there when we met Krystal. I quickly explained to Audrey who she was. It wasn't a very long explanation; I barely knew much about her myself. Still, I wasn't sure why Audrey demanded to know what she looked like.

"If Krystal is a daughter of Khione, then she probably has some wicked ice and snow powers. We should probably watch out for that," said Audrey.

"Yeah, good thinking," Leo agreed. "I also think that she isn't the only partner in crime Nagrata has. He is a bit of a drama queen, right? So that means he'll want numbers, an audience, so I bet he might even have a small army."

I shuddered. An army? I didn't like the sound of that.

"If we're going against a whole army, we'll need to use our brains. They have force, but we have our wit," I said.

"What if we don't have a brain?" asked Leo innocently.

"Shut up, you have a brain," I told him lightly.

"Not true. I lost it in the sandpit when I was two," countered Leo smoothly.

I laughed. "Then we'll have to stop by your kindergarten on the way."

"You can't, it was knocked down."

"You got me."

When Leo and I bantered it was just like old times. Maybe we were moving on. Maybe we could be just friends. A small voice in the back of head asked, _but do you want that?_ I then mentally punched that voice in the face and kept my face grinning.

"So why did you never tell me you had a little sister?" asked Audrey, obviously pleased that Leo and I were on speaking terms from the look of her face.

"I dunno. I thought she was dead, so it was a bit of a painful memory, you know? I didn't want to bring that up," I said.

I was surprised at how easy it was to talk about Emma now that I knew she was alive. I was excited to meet her again. She would be older now, right? I wondered what she would have done in the past year and a half. Maybe she didn't do anything, like a frozen in time situation, or maybe she had been locked up in a cell. I shuddered at the thought. I didn't know if I'd be happy if she had had a proper normal life, though. Maybe she had been moved into a new family, or maybe she loved Nagrata like an older brother. Maybe she wouldn't want to come home with me. That thought just made me even more depressed.

"What was she like?" Audrey pushed.

"A lot like me, I guess. We looked heaps alike, but she was a lot smarter than I am, for her age anyway. She was an artist; her paintings were like magic. She read a lot. Dad would confiscate her book if she was naughty, and she'd kicked up the biggest fit." I laughed at the memory. "But she was so adorable that Dad always gave her book back in the end. She liked being with me more than reading, though. She'd always run into my room and launch herself on to my bed and then pull me out of my homework to spend time with her. She'd even paint me sometimes. Or the both of us. Sometimes other things."

"She sounds amazing," said Leo, seeming surprisingly emotional for one of the male species.

I smiled. "Yeah, she really is."

We settled into a comfortable silence until Argus interrupted us.

"Miss Lightwood?"

I looked up quickly, and then massaged my neck from the whiplash. I was just so surprised to hear Argus speak, and part of me wanted to see if Travis Stoll was lying or not about Argus having eyes inside his mouth.

"We're here," said Argus, facing away from us and keeping his mouth relatively hidden.

Argus' voice was the average rough, blonde surfer dude voice. I guessed that Audrey, Leo and I were now probably one of the only few people that had heard it.

Audrey sighed. "I hate airports."

* * *

 **A / B:  
** Please review and tell me your thoughts. Are you happy that Maia and Leo are getting more comfortable around each other, or are you still set on the romance?


	7. Chapter 7

**A / N:** Sorry for the lack of updates, but I'm not finding this story as fun to write any more. I will continue writing this story, I just won't be updating as regularly.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own PJO.

* * *

7

To be honest with you, I had never gone on a plane before. The only reason I hadn't mentioned that to anyone before was because I knew that they would probably scoff. I looked out of the car window and gulped. The airport was huge. It had a massive white three-dome shaped roof that hovered over the building like an extremely photo shopped moth.

Argus stopped the car and began to unload our bags, struggling a bit with Audrey's. I almost laughed. Audrey had probably brought her whole wardrobe and make-up case with her.

As if answering my thoughts Audrey announced, "If I'm going to be the one that dies on this quest, I want to die looking good."

"I really needed reminding of that line of the prophecy," muttered Leo.

I chewed my lip. I was just as worried as the others, but it was my job as quest leader to be confident. Well, at least _look_ confident.

"Come on, guys. It might not even be one of us the prophecy was talking about. It could be someone else entirely," I said encouragingly.

"Like Nagrata!" said Audrey cheerfully.

I nodded but my lips were pursed. We couldn't be _that_ lucky. I'd already established that I had the worst luck in the universe. I hopped out of the car and on to the foot path, gesturing for the others to follow. I picked up my backpack and slung it over both my shoulders, probably looking like an oversized first grader.

"Thanks Argus," I told our chaperone. "I think we'll be right from here."

Argus nodded and slid back into the driver's seat. He started the engine and waved at us, glittering strangely. Then I realized it was because all of his tears were shiny with unshed tears. Argus obviously didn't have very high hopes for our quest. The purple wannabe taxi sped down the road in a cloud of fuel and dust.

With Argus gone, all we had to do now was somehow navigate the maze that was the airport. I looked up at the massive airport. _Uh oh._ Luckily Audrey took the lead; she had obviously been here before. She led us through the main entrance and into the vast crowds.

Bright lights lit up the large room, and the roof was far above us. A big blue ring of screens hung from the ceiling, listing information. In fact, there were blue screens everywhere, almost as many as the amount of people. There was a row of desks along one wall and a large entrance on the wall opposite me. It took me an eighth of a second to notice all this, but it took me at least a minute to let my brain process it all.

As Audrey wound through the crowds I held her hand, unwilling to get separated. Leo unfortunately had no one to hold his hand, and when I turned around to look at him he was gone.

"Where's Leo?" I asked, my voice at least one octave higher.

Audrey turned around and frowned. "I don't know."

 _Stupid, stupid airports._ I let go of Audrey's hand and began to wind my way back through the crowd. I scanned the passing people, looking for Leo's dark head of hair. I blinked against the harsh light from a nearby lamp as I pushed my way through the crowd. A few people grumbled at me, but I ignored them.

"Leo?" I called out.

Then I realized that I was over reacting. Leo wasn't in any danger, he was just lost. It was a busy airport and we were trying to find him. I took a more logical approach. Leo wasn't the sort of person that would allow himself to get separated from a group, so he must have just wandered off somewhere. Where would a teenage boy wander off to? Then I bit my lip to hold back a smile. Teenage boys would wander off to _food._ I could clearly see Leo from here, standing in line at a snack bar.

I sighed with exasperation.

"There he is," I told Audrey, pointing to Leo who was now tapping his foot in impatience.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Of course."

I began to weave through the crowds again, going in a set direction this time. My petite frame made it easy for me to slip through the gaps in the crowd, and I kept on having to remind myself that Audrey couldn't always follow me when I took those sorts of routes. I reached the snack bar when Leo was pulling away from the counter balancing three drinks in his hand.

"Coffee?" Leo offered guiltily, his arms slightly crooked as he tried to carry his order.

"Come here, you," said Audrey, taking a coffee from the stack. "Seriously Leo, you have to tell us before you run off. We thought we'd lost you."

"I was hungry …"said Leo, his voice trailing off.

I just sighed and took a coffee for myself. I trusted caffeine to calm down my hyper active brain. Leo somehow managed to pluck his own coffee from the cardboard cup holder in his arms, and plucked out the bucket of fries with his pinky where it dangled precariously. Leo tried to then pick up the cardboard cup holder thingy with his mouth but instead resulted in spilling coffee all over himself. Leo yelped as the hot coffee burnt his skin and Audrey giggled.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway. I took the now mutilated cardboard (the hot coffee and stained it and made it wrinkled up into itself) and put it into the bin beside us.

"Now can we just get this plane ride over with?" I asked, taking a fry from the bucket in Leo's hands. "Please?"

To be honest, the whole airport experience was a terrifying blur. We lost Audrey at Customs, and I got lost … well, I was lost. I didn't know where I was. Or where anyone else was. Or where –

 _Calm down, Maia,_ I told myself.

 _Shut up, me,_ thought the more panicky side of my brain.

 _Your being an idiot._

 _I know that._

Great, now I'm talking to myself. I suddenly remembered the time my Uncle (Dad's brother, not Aphrodite's) told me talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. I hadn't talked at all for a week. I wasn't talking that much now, either. Actually I'm pretty sure the only time I had talked was when I charmspeaked the guard to let us skip the metal detector. It worked well enough, he let us skip the whole security section which was a little more than I had bargained for.

Audrey and I stole more of Leo's fries until he reluctantly gave us the whole bucket to share. I finished my coffee way too quickly so I was on a bit of a high. We skipped the bagging section too, and claimed our large backpacks as on board luggage. The officers were a little suspicious of our bags, but I may have also used charmspeak on them, too. Audrey and Leo thought they were just being lenient.

We finally got to the boarding the plane part. I was walking extra slowly, not exactly keen to get any closer to the plane than I had to. Even Audrey, who was afraid of heights, seemed more excited to board the plane than I was. I guess it must be because she had flown before. I knew Leo had when he visited his family overseas. My stomach was queasy, which was strange because it felt like I had no stomach. I had left that along with my bravery in the wannabe taxi.

"Are you alright?" asked Audrey, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I tried to relax my nervous face and swallowed. "Yeah."

Audrey's brown eyes searched mine for a moment longer before she straightened. Audrey grabbed my arm and pulled me along towards the plane at an alarming speed of walking at the usual pace. I immediately tried to slow her down with my normal pace of dragging my feet, but Audrey's grip was too strong for my weak-minded stubbornness.

I couldn't see the plane until I was inside it, as the corridor just led to a short tunnel into the plane. The plane looked fine, just like a very small and clean bus. From the inside, the sides of the plane were simple curved white walls and overhead luggage rested over the passengers' heads. There was a long aisle running between rows of three seats. The seats were cobalt blue and surprisingly comfy looking, with a screen for watching movies and a tray and cup holder on the back of the seat in front. I was impressed. Of course, I had nothing to compare the plane to, since I had never been before, but I had been expecting a lot worse.

Leo was muttering our seat numbers under his breath, scanning the numbers on the wooden arm rests. I shuffled along behind him, trying to look at the whole plane at once and failing miserably.

"Here," announced Leo, stopping next to our seats so suddenly that I almost crashed into him.

"Could I have the window seat?" I asked, but my voice was more of a squeak.

"Sure," said Leo, looking untroubled and holding out a gentlemanly arm. "Ladies first."

I was too nervous to feel embarrassed. I slid past Leo and into the seat next to the window, dropping my backpack on the floor and attempting to melt into the plush blue fabric.

"Over head, remember?" Leo reminded me, whisking my back away from my feet and sliding it into the overhead rack with ease.

"Oops," I half-whispered, my voce getting lost on the way up.

I was the most pathetic demigod of all time. I could battle monsters, sure, but I was terrified of a stupid airplane. I hugged my arms around myself, trying to pass it off as being cold rather than what it actually was, which was me trying to keep my insides in the one spot.

Audrey ushered Leo into the seat next to me, before following suit and taking the aisle seat. I felt the warmth of Leo's muscular (sorry, that adjective was necessary) body press up against mine in the small space. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, it actually calmed me down. My heart was still hammering its way through my chest, but I no longer felt like regurgitating my insides.

"Are you sure you're alright, Maia?" asked Audrey anxiously. "You're as white as a sheet."

I shook my head, wrapping my hands around myself a little further.

"Have even flown on a plane before?" accused Audrey, not unkindly.

I shook my head again.

Audrey sighed. "It'll be okay, Maia. It's only an hour and a half flight from New York to Toronto."

Toronto … _Oh yeah,_ I remembered. Chiron had told us that flying directly to Ganda (did they have an airport there? I wasn't sure) would attract attention, so we had to fly to Toronto. I hadn't wanted to mention to Chiron that monsters were too dim to find a flight attention worthy, and Nagrata probably knew we were coming anyway.

I nodded in response to Audrey to signal that I was okay. An air hostess walked down the aisle and began to give as instructions. She was very pretty and had a bright bandana tied around her next, paired with a white shirt and a black high waisted skirt and blazer. Many of the male passengers were ruffling their hair in order to impress the pretty air hostess, and I saw what must be one of the men's wife whack him on the back of the head. I glanced over at Leo and to my guilty pleasure I found that he wasn't paying the hostess any attention. He was actually staring at me. I quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed.

Instead, I focused on buckling myself in with the hostess' instructions. I wasn't going to leave anything to chance on a giant flying vehicle, which was what I told myself as I triple checked my seat belt. The air hostess finally left us, and I rested my head back on to the seat. This was going to be a _very_ long trip.

* * *

 **A / N:** As always, please review! Also, I'm basing Maia's plane experience with mine, as I've only gone on a plane once, and I was REALLY scared.


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